


After Father Thomas and the Article

by loulou268



Series: Derry Girls - Erin and James - Scenes We Didn't See - Season 1 [3]
Category: Derry Girls (TV)
Genre: Derry Girls Season 1, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 10:42:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18548158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loulou268/pseuds/loulou268
Summary: Scenes We Didn't See: After Father Thomas and the ArticleJames stays round the Quinn's for dinner and realises Erin's eyes are nice to look at.





	After Father Thomas and the Article

“How are you feeling?” James asked as he and Erin leaned against the wall outside her house after their exam.

“Like I’m gonna have a plot next to Toto’s fake one.”

“I’m sure you did fine,” he assured her with a smile and fond shoulder bump. “You’re a smart girl, Erin, you don’t give yourself enough credit.”

“I did no fecking revision, I’m doomed.”

“Well, at least we’re all doomed together.” James turned his head to look down on Erin, he wasn’t that much taller but he was it was enough that when they were leaning like this that he had to so he could meet her eye. They were nice eyes, James realized, a nice light blue – like the Derry sky on a clear summers day. How hadn’t he realized how nice Erin’s eyes were before today?

Erin laughed at James comment, bumping her shoulder back against his. It was nice to see her smile after such a bad few days, what with the article about the Virgin Mary Statue crying being fake and calling them cruel, wicked pranksters as well as Father Thomas and the exam. Erin had found the past few days extremely difficult and her permanent pout.

“Aye, there is that.”

“One goes down, we all go down.”

“If Michelle were here she’d make some comment about going down,” Erin chuckled.

“I think we spend too much with her if we know what she’d joke at.”

“To be fair it ain’t hard to figure out.”

“Erin,” a sharp voice came from behind them and they turned to see Mary standing there, arms across her chest “are ye going to come in or stand out all night?”

“Yes, Mammy,” Erin called.

“Does the Wee English Fella want to stay for dinner?”

“That’d be lovely Mrs Quinn,” James called back. “Can I use your phone to call Aunt Deirdre and tell her I’ll be staying?”

“Aye,” Mary nodded, “come on in then.”

The pair jogged inside and James immediately grabbed the phone, punching in his number. He held the phone to his ear and Erin leaned against the wall and waited. She watched as he bowed his head and mumbled quietly into the phone, so quiet, so soft, she could hardly hear him, despite being so close, but she could hear Michelle on the other end of the line, yelling loudly about where he was and what time he would be home. She smiled as James sighed and hung up the phone.

“Ye alright to stay for dinner?”

“Yeah…” James nodded, “Michelle is convinced that I’m trying to get out of doing the dishes.”

“I heard,” Erin gestured to the phone. “Quietness ain’t her virtue.”

“Dinner will be in a bit, you two.” Mary peered her head around.

“Mind if we go in my room till then?” Erin asked her family. Her Granda Joe made a comment about not being worried as he still believed that James was gay.

“Again, not gay,” James grumbled as he followed Erin upstairs.

“Aye, it ain’t that bad,” Erin commented, “if they thought you weren’t we’d ‘ave to stay down there with them.”

“Still.”

They walked into Erin’s room and took their places – Erin on her bed and James in a chair. The comfortable silence took over for a few minutes before Erin spoke up.

“How’d ye think ye did on the exam then?”

“That maybe Auntie Deirdre will see if Mrs Quinn would mind having another plot in your garden.”

“Well, ye said we’re all doomed.” Erin chuckled as James got up and starting looking around her room. For a second she felt faintly insecure at James looking around.

“Have you read all of these books?”

“Aye,” she nodded, “Ma won’t let me get new books until I read them all.”

“Wow,” James let out a low impressed whistle. “Do you re-read them?”

“All the time.”

“What’s your favourite author?”

“I like George Eliot,” Erin admitted quietly. James spun around and looked at her.

“I've heard of him. He’s English.”

“She.” Erin corrected, “George Eliot is a woman, and, yes, English.” She went silent for a second, “don’t tell the others.”

“Your secret is safe with me.” James smiled. He paused for a second. “Is there any Irish writers you could recommend?”

“Elizabeth Bowen, and her book ‘The Death of the Heart’.” Erin jumped to her feet and started looking through her books, finding the Bowen book she said. She handed it to him. “You can borrow it… if you would like…” she offered. Her voice suddenly quietened and her nerves kicked back in. What if James didn’t want to read it? Or worse? What if he did read it and didn’t like it? She would feel like such a fecking eejit.

“I’d love to,” James smiled as he gingerly took the book from Erin, hands shaking and cheeks blushing. It felt so personal to him, that Erin wanted to share her books with him of all people, the wee English Fella. “I’ll give it back when I’m done – promise it won’t be damaged!”

“Better not be,” Erin flashed a grin, “Michelle calling ya an English Prick will be the least of ye problems otherwise.”

The two started laughing as James placed the book on his bag to remember to take it with him when he left.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” James chuckled, “you mad would scare me more than Michelle ever could.”

“Aye, is it bad that makes me feel a wee bit proud of me-self?” Erin propped herself back on her bed, giggling to herself.

“Nah,” James said, collapsing on Erin’s bed. The pair of them sat in that comfortable silence for a minute, just looking at each other. James looked at Erin’s lovely blue eyes. He barely heard when Mrs Quinn called, it wasn’t until Erin stood up and gestured for him to join her that he stood up and followed her.

Something felt different in his chest for a second, a light flutter which made him feel nervously sick – that catch in your throat when you have to perform in the school play, that nice nervousness – and as he watched Erin flounce downstairs, hair swaying as she did, causing him to smell her perfume – Yardley Perfume’s, English Rose. He’d know it anywhere. It was the reassuring fragrance of Erin Quinn – James swallowed hard.


End file.
